Category Archives: BioEngineering

Using 3D printing, a team from the University of California San Diego and Rady Childrens Hospital has reduced surgery time by approximately 25 percent.

The project focused on treatment of the most common hip disorder occurring in children aged between 9 and 16. The finding of the study are published in the Journal of Childrens Orthopaedics.

Engineers working together with pediatric orthopedic surgeons created surgical planning models using a 3D printer. The study compared the operating time on 5 patients where the 3D printed models were used to a control group of a further 5 patients.

Dr. Vidyadhar Upasani, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Rady Childrens and UC San Diego, is the lead author of the study. Speaking about the results he said, Being able to practice on these 3D-models is crucial, said and the papers senior author.

Saving money and time with 3D printing

The study calculates that by using a 3D printed model to plan the surgery the time savings translate into a cost saving of $2700 per surgery. The models were produced using a moderately priced 3D printer costing $2200. The material cost for each model was approximately $10.

The research looked at a condition called slipped capital femoral epiphysis. This condition causes the patients femur to move against the bones growth plate leading to deformation. Surgery is required to remove part of the femur and help restore hip function.

Performing this task in the operating room can be problematic as the areas of focus are not directly visible. Therefore using a 3D printed model to understand the anatomy and challenges of a particular operation in advance is desirable.

Prior to adopting this new approach surgical teams would use X-rays for planning and also during the operation. Using X-ray fluoroscopy in the operating room was not only time-consuming, but also meant additional exposure to radiation for the patient.

Future research goals

The work was performed in conjunction with Jason Caffrey, Ph.D. candidate in bioengineering at UCSD, and Lillia Cherkasskiy, currently studying for an M.D. Bioengineering professor Robert Sah, and colleagues were also assisted with the study.

Input data for the 3D prints came from CT scans of the patients pelvis. A computer model was then created to visualize the bone and growth plate.

Seeing the benefit of 3D printing, Rady Childrens orthopedics department now has its own 3D printer. Dr. Upasani said. Ive seen how beneficial 3D models are, he said. Its now hard to plan surgeries without them.

Members of the research team are now investigating 3D printed models to assist in the treatment of infant hip dysplasia.

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3D printing saves $2700 per surgery finds new research - 3D Printing Industry

Machine operators move protective packaging material, that's made from mushrooms, from molds to a cart on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at Ecovative Design in Troy, N.Y. From left are Aaron Ford, Lance Tucker and Aldwin Berry. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less Machine operators move protective packaging material, that's made from mushrooms, from molds to a cart on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at Ecovative Design in Troy, N.Y. From left are Aaron Ford, Lance Tucker and ... more Photo: Cindy Schultz Mayor Patrick Madden, center, holds protective packaging while production manager Katie Malysa, right, explains it's made from mushrooms on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at Ecovative Design in Troy, N.Y. At left is Andy Ross of Ross Valve. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less Mayor Patrick Madden, center, holds protective packaging while production manager Katie Malysa, right, explains it's made from mushrooms on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at Ecovative Design in Troy, N.Y. At left is ... more Photo: Cindy Schultz

Machine operator Lance Tucker, right, carries protective packaging material, that's made from mushrooms, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at Ecovative Design in Troy, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Machine operator Lance Tucker, right, carries protective packaging material, that's made from mushrooms, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, at Ecovative Design in Troy, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)

Ecovative lays off 18 as it shifts gears toward bioengineering

Ecovative Design, the Green Island startup that makes building and packaging materials out of biodegradable mushroom material, is laying off 18 people, between 20 to 30 percent of its total staff.

The job cuts are the first major layoffs that Ecovative CEO Eben Bayer has had to do since he co-founded the company about 10 years ago while a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

Ecovative, which recently won a $9.1 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is now headquartered in Green Island in 32,000 square feet of space and has a second manufacturing facility in Troy with 20,000 square feet of space.

The layoffs are associated with the cessation of two new product projects that have ended for different reasons. In one case, a commercial partner had decided not to fund a Phase II of the program.

"The projects that these folks were working on went away," Bayer told the Times Union. "We're not shutting down. We're not going away. We're not ceasing production. We're continuing to do manufacturing."

Still, Bayer said he had to let some really good employees go, and it was not easy for him or others in management to make that decision. The company employed in the neighborhood of 70 people before the layoffs occurred.

However, he said the company has to remain sustainable in the long run, one of the reasons why the company did not decide to try and subsidize the jobs without corresponding revenue.

"It's sad," Bayer said. "This was so hard."

Bayer added that he believes the teams that were laid off will become assets at other companies quickly.

"Those impacted are some of the smartest, hardworking and talented individuals I have worked with," Bayer said. "I know that their skills will be in high demand in the Capital Region."

Laid-off workers received compensation and health care packages that depended on their length of service.

The layoffs come, however, as Ecovative, a privately held company that does not reveal financial data to the public, is shifting gears in a way that may end up leading to many more hires.

One of the new product programs could also be re-launched as a spin-off company, but Bayer said it was too early to sustain it now on its own. He said both product programs were secret and the company did not publicize what they were working on.

Bayer said the company has exhausted what it can do with using native mycelium, the fungus "filaments" that grow into mushrooms, to bind together other biodegradable materials into molds.

Instead, the company has started experimenting with bioengineering mycelium to create new properties in self-growing building materials for instance mycelium that can be certain colors or have insect resistant properties. The DARPA grant is being used to create bioengineered materials that will grow temporary shelters in place.

The ideas of bioengineering these new self-growing materials are limitless, and have a much larger market potential than the company's current product line of MycoBoard and MycoFoam.

"For me, that's the next frontier," Bayer said. "I'm really excited about it."

The company is currently hiring a molecular biology technician as part of this new research and development push.

"This role will perform molecular biology techniques, strain preservation and maintenance, species cultivation, substrate preparation and mixing, maintain lab inventory, assist in scale up, prepare materials for experimentation, and perform data collection," the job posting states.

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Ecovative lays off 18 as it shifts gears toward bioengineering - Albany Times Union

Sarah Harcum, professor of bioengineering, works in her lab at Clemson University. Photo Credit: Clemson University.

Clemson University professor Sarah Harcum has been awarded a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study ways to lower the cost of drugs for illnesses such as Crohns disease, breast cancer, severe anemia, and multiple sclerosis.

Harcum and several other researchers plan to research better ways of engineering Chinese hamster ovary cells, which the drug industry uses to produce half of allbiopharmaceuticals.

According to Harcum, a bioengineering professor, Chinese hamster ovary cells arehighly adaptable, bear no human viruses, and are capable of high-level production. But the hamster cells have one flaw: Genetic drift, a series of mutations that ultimately hinders drug production for manufacturers and increases prices for patients.

Genetic drift begins at cell development, according to Harcum.

A line of ovarian cells ideally develops with a uniform genetic composition, which is necessary for the efficient production of all biopharmaceuticals. Unfortunately,the composition drifts as cells reproduce, and they become less effective at creating drugs.

As a result, production becomes more expensive as they require more monitoring, control, and analysis throughout the manufacturing process.Some biopharmaceuticals under current production conditions can cost patients thousands of dollars per treatment, according to Harcum.

Harcum said she became aware of genetic drift in hamster cells during her time as a staff fellow at the Federal Drug Administration in the 1990s. Shes since studied how to disable the underlying mechanism responsible for the genetic drift, using a set of hamster cells that were originally cultured in 1957.

Now, using the grant, Harcum is teaming up with researchers from the University of Delaware, Tulane University, and Delaware State University to find a solution.Harcum said the study is expected to improve the manufacturing process for biopharmaceuticals, creating more affordable prices for patients.

We expect by the end of the study we will have identified some genes that cause the instability, said Harcum. With success, the Chinese hamster ovary cell line will stay more stable during the manufacturing.We hope to get that drift to be reduced; thats the ultimate goal.

Harcum plans to use the grant money to install an industry-grade bioreactor in her lab at the Biosystems Research Complex on the main Clemson University campus.

As part of the project, Harcum and her colleagues plan to use part of the grant money to recruit female and minority research assistants to promote diversity. They also plan to recruit three-tenure track faculty members to promote the field of bioengineering, which has faced a shortage of masters and doctoral-level researchers in recent years.

Medical patients could be less likely to reject artificial hips, knees and other medical implants.

Amor Ogale received $2 million in collaboration with the Center for Composite Materials at University

The operating system thats under development, known as S2OS, could make data stored and transmitted

Clemson researchers have been awarded five high-profile research grants

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Clemson prof gets $6M for research to lower price of drugs used to treat breast cancer, MS - Greenville Journal

Arizona researchers, educators, students and representatives of industry, government agencies and health care institutions gathered at the annual ASU Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Symposium in 2016 and 2017 to discuss the potential these fields hold for sparking medical advances. Photo by: Marco-Alexia Chaira/ASU Download Full Image

The main thrust of biomedical engineering has long involved the hardware that the field produces devices, tools, machines, electronics and prosthetic apparatuses.

Now the spotlight is rapidly being shared by engineers and scientists who are seeking to solve medical challenges through their increasing ability to manipulate cells, molecules, genes, proteins and neural systems those so-called soft, pliant and sometimes living biomaterials.

So, about four years ago, it really started to make sense to form a group to strategize about how we could grow this area at ASU, both in the labs and the classrooms, said Haynes, a synthetic biologist and assistant professor of biomedical engineering in ASUs Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

We needed to start connecting with each other, to share knowledge and to collaborate to bring these new things happening in the biomedical field to the forefront here, said Rege, a professor of chemical engineering in the Fulton Schools.

The Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Group made its public debut of sorts with the inaugural Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Symposium at ASU in 2016, followed by a second symposium last spring that drew almost 150 participants, nearly doubling attendance at the first event.

The gatherings included not only university faculty and graduate students from across Arizona but also representatives from industry and state health agencies.

Audiences saw presentations and heard talks about an expanding array of biomedical techniques being developed that hold promise for treating diseases, healing damaged organs and alleviating various disorders.

There are therapeutic gene editing and DNA sequencing techniques being developed with the aim of curing disease.

Researchers are exploring the use of certain proteins produced by our bodies to treat diseases proteins that could potentially be more effective than the chemical compounds in the drugs that are now widely used.

With our ability to figure out how DNA is expressed and translated into a protein, we now have a much clearer picture of all the different types of coding sequences in DNA and the proteins that are produced by the body, Haynes explained.

Assistant Professor Karmella Haynes (right) says a stronger emphasis on educating students about the biological side of biomedical engineering can broaden their skills and boost their career prospects. Photo by: Jessica Hochreiter/ASU

That capability, she said, enables us to take a healthy cell and compare it to a diseased cell, and then say This is what is right in the healthy cell and these are the things that are wrong in the unhealthy cell. Then we could introduce the right things into the diseased area to try to fix it.

Reges research team is investigating other aspects of such regenerative medicine.

One project involves experimentation with efficiently delivering therapeutic molecules into cells that could target areas of disease.

Techniques like that could also be part of new processes to perform body tissue repair, helping to seal internal organs after surgical incisions in conjunction with the use of laser light to activate sealing and even healing organ tissues damaged by injury or disease.

Other Fulton Schools faculty members are doing work that demonstrates the myriad possibilities of applying new bioengineering skills to improve human health.

Assistant Professor Jeffrey La Belles team is developing implantable and wearable point-of-care sensing systems for disease diagnosis and management.

The technologies utilize molecular recognition of such things as enzymes, antibodies and DNA for sensing particular molecular targets that provide information about certain health conditions.

By sensing multiple biomarkers, the devices can help medical professionals better determine proper care by more accurately assessing patients conditions, La Belle said. They can be particularly effective in enabling people with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and abdominal organ transplants to monitor their health, and for improving evaluation of the status of trauma patients.

Associate Professor Xiao Wang is involved in the design and construction of gene circuits. That entails deeper understanding of the bodys complex gene-regulation networks and what triggers the cell differentiation process, by which stem cells transform into a range of specialized cells critical to the functioning of essential bodily systems.

The aim is to find ways to more effectively determine cell fate, Wang said. Controlling those transitions would make it possible to produce cells designed to help treat infections and diseases, and repair tissues and organs.

Achieving that could help reduce the need for transplants and improve therapies and treatments for spinal injuries and perhaps even Alzheimers Disease and blindness.

Associate Professor Sarah Stabenfeldt is focusing on new and improved therapeutics and diagnostics for brain injury, employing techniques springing from discoveries in molecular biology, neuroscience and materials science to develop and evaluate those diagnostic and treatment systems.

She is experimenting with the use of engineered nanobodies therapeutic proteins derived from antibodies that contain structural and functional properties of naturally occurring antibodies.

The goal is to develop nanoparticle systems that can be introduced into the bloodstream as targeting probes that locate the molecular and cellular source of brain damage.

Those tiny probes would be able to recognize the complexity and severity of neural injury to the brain at the molecular level, thus providing more relevant information to guide treatment of traumatic brain injury, Stabenfeldt said.

Assistant Professor Rachael Sirianni is employing similar approaches to develop more effective treatments for cancer and other degenerative diseases.

Sirianni is an adjunct biomedical engineering faculty member with the Fulton Schools whose primary appointment is with the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where she runs an academic research program that includes joint ASU/BNI neuroscience endeavors.

She is exploring the use of biomaterials for targeted drug delivery. tissue engineering and medical imaging. Shes confident that work in in these and related areas will eventually help bring about significant medical advances.

The range of problems we can tackle and the knowledge we can gain through these emerging aspects of bioengineering will eventually lead to better therapeutics and a big overall impact on the future of clinical care, she said.

Professor Kaushal Rege (second from left) says the Molecular, Cellular and Technology Group will work to earn more support for research training programs for graduate and postdoctoral students. Photo by: Nora Skrodenis/ASU

There are obstacles that must be overcome to achieve the scientific and engineering capabilities necessary to fulfill that promise, she added, but she believes collaborations like those being fostered by the Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Group could speed progress.

Along with about a half dozen other Fulton Schools faculty, colleagues in ASUs School of Life Sciences, the School of Molecular Sciences and research specialists with the Biodesign Institute are also engaged in advancing knowledge in molecular, cell and tissue biology.

Much of that work has drawn support from the likes of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the ASU Foundations Women & Philanthropy program, the American Heart Association and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission, which also provided $20,000 to help fund this years ASU Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Symposium.

The ABRC, a part of the Arizona Department of Health Services, sees significant benefits for the state in helping to create a shared sense of community among engineers, scientists, industries and healthcare institutions interested in making medical advances, said Jennifer Botsford, the commissions program manager.

The faculty group has the potential to create opportunities for cross-fertilization of ideas that push the boundaries of science, said Betsy Cantwell,vice president of research for ASUs Knowledge Enterprise Development office

Their work is not only necessary, but genuinely innovative and inclusive, as demonstrated by their national stature and international connections, Cantwell said.

Such endorsements are motivating the group to put plans into action to more solidly establish its identity and pursue its long-range goals.

Haynes is hoping that by next year the symposium will start to become more of a regional event and draw prominent experts and industry leaders from throughout the Southwest.

She and Rege also hope to encourage more serious discussion with ASU leaders about ideas for a future lab complex or even a building where the universitys biomedical researchers could be headquartered.

To optimize our resources and make full use of our talents, its important to have an environment that allows us to see and talk to each other about our individual work, Rege said. That is how ideas get generated and collaborations happen.

On one front, the groups aspirations are already taking shape.

The Fulton Schools biomedical engineering program is in the process of launching a new curriculum track that will make this soft, squishy side of the field more of an educational focal point at ASU.

This is a huge deal, Haynes said, because we can offer more to students who want a stronger combination of medical education and engineering thats going to open up their career possibilities.

The group seeks to not only attract more funding for faculty research but also for research training programs for graduate students and postdoctoral students.

That would be a significant step toward elevating ASU among medical science and engineering education leaders.

Said Rege: We want this to be a place where people can come to see and learn about and contribute to really big things happening in all these fields. Thats our vision.

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'Soft' side of bioengineering poised to make big impacts - Arizona State University

Parliaments steering committee approved representatives for the College of Engineering and the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts, which went unfilled after the Spring TSG elections.

by Amanda Lien 03 August 2017

Junior bioengineering major Neil Chada (left) and sophomore musical theater major Doreen Nguyen were approved to fill vacant seats in Temple Student Government's Parliament. COURTESY NEIL CHADA AND DOREEN NGUYEN

Temple Student Governments steering committee voted Monday to approve candidates for two vacant Parliament seats.

Parliamentarian Jacob Kurtz appointed junior bioengineering major Neil Chada for the College of Engineering seat and sophomore musical theater major Doreen Nguyen for the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts seat in late June.

Chada and Nguyen sent their resumes and statements of interest to members of the steering committee, who began questioning them via email in early July. Questioning ended in mid-July, but a vote was not taken until the end of the month.

According to the TSG Constitution, both candidates need to be approved by the steering committee in a simple majority vote. Both candidates were approved 7-1.

The steering committee, which is made up of the Speaker and the committee heads, is responsible for setting the Parliament agenda and approving new appointments to Parliament. A new steering committee has not been established by the current Parliament but members of the former steering committee retain emeritus membership status, which allows them to vote on new appointments to Parliament until a new steering committee can be established.

The current steering committee is made up of the former Speaker and the seven former committee chairs.

Chada said that his goal is to get engineering students talking about TSG as a place to bring comments and concerns since he feels like TSG was lacking representation from the College of Engineering last year.

A lot of times, the people in engineering get carried away with what theyre doing and everyone feels like no one has an avenue where they can project their voices, he said. My primary focus is to streamline that and make it accessible to everyone.

Outreach to the academic advising office and faculty are among his top priorities as a representative, he added.

Nguyen said she hopes to ensure that her school has more of a voice in TSG by talking to large classes and using her positions as a peer adviser and resident assistant to hear different concerns.

A lot of people [in TFMA] dont feel as represented on TSG, she said. I want to be that person they can go to with concerns that I can bring up to the entire student government.

After this vote, there are still three vacant Parliament seats: Boyer College of Music and Dance, Transfer Students and Graduate/Fifth Year Plus. The primary focus within Parliament is training the existing Parliament representatives, Kurtz said, adding that once that is completed he will work with the Elections Commissioner to try to fill the seats.

Two freshman class representatives, the RHA representative and the Greek life representative will be elected at the beginning of the fall semester.

Amanda Lien can be reached at amanda.lien@temple.edu.

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TSG: Two vacant Parliament seats filled after committee approval - Temple News

NSF Honorees Are Devoted to Improving Our World

Four Bioengineering students have been chosen this year for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program by the National Science Foundation. The program provides three years of financial support for graduate studies.

Researchers at the Texas Biomedical Device Center have been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to investigate a novel approach to accelerate the learning of foreign languages.

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Dr. Robert Gregg has devoted years of research to helping lower-limb amputees and stroke survivors walk again. A new grant from the National Science Foundation has given that effort a significant boost.

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We actively pursue research that leads to tech and knowledge transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Bioengineering Department at UT Dallas offers an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering and graduate degrees in biomedical engineering as part of collaboration with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

About Us

With access to advanced technology, highly trained engineers, and clinicians and practitioners in the field; we provide a unique environment that cultivates creativity. Learn More

Our faculty work in a range of disciplines and conduct groundbreaking research; as leaders in their fields, they provide students with a myriad of opportunities Learn More

The $108 million, 220,000-square-foot Bioengineering and Sciences Building recently opened and houses state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for conducting cutting-edge research. Learn More

Our bioengineers work at the intersection of engineering and the life sciences, developing new technologies that improve peoples health and well-being. Learn More

We have incorporated hands-on learning opportunities into our curriculum. Each semester, students are presented with engineering problems and are given the training and guidance needed to create highly technical solutions to these problems. Students are trained on the use of advanced bench top engineering equipment from network analyzers, digital oscilloscopes, and function generators so they can design, test and build medical devices.

Our Mission

Students graduate from our program able to successfully navigate medical school or as competent engineers able to develop medical devices.

Bioengineers Create Sensor That Measures Perspiration to Monitor Glucose LevelsOct. 13, 2016

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Department of Bioengineering - Erik Jonsson School of ...